Tablet making machine



Nov. 29, 1966 Filed June 8, 71964 E. DESHUSSES 3,288,087

TABLET MAKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet l MEL 7 ,2

INVENTOR.

EDMOND DESHUSSE S lwoud $4 ATTO RNEY NOV. 29, 1966 DESHUSSES 3,288,087

TABLET MAKING MACHINE Filed June 8, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

EDMOND DESHUSSES A tu woos, E

ATTORNEY Nov. 29, 1966 E. DESHUSSES 3,288,087

TABLET MAKING MACHINE Filed June a; 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet :5

INVENTOR.

EDMOND DE SHUSSES BY 441M004 4 4 v ATTO RNEY NOV. 29, 1966 DESHUSSES 3,288,087

TABLET MAKING MACHINE Filed June 8, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 3A 43 38a 1 H INVENTOR.

EDMOND DESHUSSES /uwood a ATTORNEY United States Patent,

Claims priority, application Switzerland, June 17, 1963, 7

7,490/ 63 1 Claim. (Cl. 107--18) The present invention is directed to improvements in a tablet making machine for making tablets from a powdered pharmaceutical product.

This machine is characterised by the fact that it comprises a table carrying a die in which are formed the said tablets, a movable frame provided with rods and crossbars, the top cross bar of which,situated above the said die, carries a punch intended to compress the powdered product into the die, the rods of which pass through the said table, the bottom cross bar of which is subjected to the action of a driving mechanism situated under the said table and producing an alternating movement of the said movable frameyand a distributing device situated above the said table and producing the filling of the die with a powdered product.

The drawing shows, by way of example, one em odi-' ment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tablet making machine. FIG. 2 is a lateral view of the machine, with the board of the casing thereof, constituting its frame, having been removed in order to show part of the mechanism of the machine;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a part of the machine, on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a part of the machine, along the line IVIV of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an elevational view, with partial section along the line VV of FIG. 2, of a detail of the machine.

FIG. 6 is a section of a detail, and

FIGS. 7 and 8 are plan views, from the bottom, of two 7 details.

The machine represented comprises a frame 1 constituted by a casing enclosing a structure 2, carrying a part of the mechanism, and the upper part of which, designated by 2a, constitutes a table. This latter carries a central plate 3 in which is located a die 4, constituting a mould for the tablets which are made by a punch 5. This latter is mounted on the top cross bar 6 of a movable frame comprising rods, designated by 7, which pass through the table 2a of the 'machineand which are slidingly mounted in guiding sleeves 8 (FIG, 5), secured to the table 2a and to a cross bar 2b of the structure 2'. The bottom cross bar of the movable frame, designated by 9, situated under the table 2a is connected, by a shaft 10, to a connecting rod 11 mounted on an excentric 12a of a shaft 12 (FIG. 4). This latter is driven by a motor 13 (FIG. 2) by means of a belt 14 driving a wheel 15 carried by a tubular sleeve 16, engaged on the extremity of the shaft 12, and which is rigid with a toothed gear 17. This gear meshes with a wheel 18 carried by an auxiliary shaft 19 and which is rigid with a gear 20. This gear 20 meshes with a wheel 21 mounted on the shaft 12. Thus, and owing to the gearing 17, 18, 20 and 21, the rotation of the wheel 15 is transmitted, with an important reduction, to the shaft 12, producing alternating vertical movement of the movable frame.

It is to be noted that the punch 5 is rigid with the shaft 22 slidingly mounted in the cross bar 6, a part 22a of which is threaded and carries, screwed thereon, a nut 23 provided with a lateral frusto-conical toothing 24 (FIG. 4). A frusto-conical gear 25, rigid with a rod 26, is rotatably mounted in a sleeve 27 rigid with the cross bar shaft 12. support 31 as well as the rod 30, constituting the bottom Patented Nov. 29, 1966 6. The shaft 26 carries a driving wheel 28 which permits the nut 23 to rotate thereby displacing axially the shaft 22 and the punch 5 which carries it. This adjusting of the position of the punch, controllable by means of a graduation 29, permits modification of the penetration of the punch into the die 4.

The bottom of the die is constituted by a movable rod 30 (FIG. 4); this rod 30 is carried by a support 31 screwed on the threaded part of a sleeve 32 slidingly mounted on a guiding rod 33 carried by the table 2a. A

coil spring 34, located in the sleeve 32, bears on the one hand against the bottom, designated by 32a, of the sleeve 32 and, on the other hand, against the extremity of the rod 33, for holding the sleeve pressed against a pusher 35 guided by a slide 2c of the frame 2. This pusher 35 carries a roller 36 pressed against a cam 37 rigid with the Thus, the sleeve 32, and consequently the of the die, move synchroneously with the movable frame carrying the punch 5. The profile of the cam 37 is such that the bottom 30 of the die is stationary, in its lower position, when the punch is in the die, compressing the powdered material. On the contrary, when the punch 5 is in its upper position, as represented in FIG. 4, the rod 30 is in its upper position, to which it has moved after having extracted the tablets out of the die 4.

It is to be noted that, when the rod 30 is in its lower position, its support 31 bears on a bearing device intended to absorb the force exerted on the rod during the compression of the powdered material in the die 4. This hearing device comprises a rod 38, provided with a head 38a, on which bears the support 31 (FIG. 4). This rod 38 is slidingly mounted in a sleeve 39, screwed in a sleeve 40, carried by the cross bar 2b of the frame 2. The sleeve 40 carries, rotatably mounted thereon, a driving toothed wheel 41, with which meshes a gear 42 (FIG. 5), rigid with a vertical shaft 43, the upper extremity of which, non-visible in the drawing, can be reached through a corresponding aperture of the plate 3. Thus, by means of a tool, it is possible to rotate the shaft 43, driving thereby the wheel 41. This wheel drives, by a keying 44, the sleeve 39 which is more or less screwed on the sleeve 40, that modifies its position in height. This modification of the height of the sleeve 39, allows adjustment of the position in height of the bearing head 38a and consequently of the rod 30 when it occupies its lower extreme position. Thus, the effective volume of the die 4 can be adjusted.

The bearing head 38a is submitted to the action of a strong coil spring 45 which damps the shock effect which could be produced by the punch acting on the powdered sion is reached.

The machine comprises moreover a distributing device, constituted by a central container 46 intended to contain the powdered product and the bottom of which, designated by 46a, is situated above the level of the punch 5, and which is provided with an aperture 47, having the shape of an arc of circle, through which the powdered material flows. The container 46 is engaged by a rotatable shaft 48, provided with an Archimedean screw 49, driven by the gear 20 by means of a wheel 50 carried by a shaft 51 and by means of two frusto-conical gears 52 and 53. This latter is rigidly mounted on a shaft 54 rotatably mounted in a sleeve 2d of the frame 2, and driving a sleeve 55, rigid with the shaft 48, by the intermediary of a coupling device 56.

The flowing aperture 47 is closed. by a member 57 hereafter called the obturator-distributor, rigidly mounted on the shaft 48 and rotating therewith. This obturatordistributor 57, interposed between the bottom 46a of the container 46 and the plate 3, is provided with an extension or radial arm 57a in which is provided an oblique passage 58, the upper extremity of which constitutes a slot having the shape of an arc of circle, opening the aperture 47 at each revolution of the obturator-distributor and the lower extremity of which comes opposite the die 4, likely once by revolution. Consequently, at each passage of the canal 58 opposite the aperture 47, this canal is filled. with powdered material, while, at each 1 passage opposite the die 4, it is drained therein. The quantity of powdered material distributed at each revolution into the die is substantially constant, the relative dimensions of the apertures being such that, taking into account the speed of rotation of the arm 57a, the die is completely filledat each passage of the arm. It is to be noted that the arc of circle shape of the openings permits to drive the arm 57a more rapidly than if these openings were circular. Moreover, the filling does not depend from the quantity of material which remains in the container 46, only the powdered material contained in the canal 58 and a part thereof only filling the die. At last, the filling is rendered more easy by the fact that the synchronisation of the several movements is such that the bottom 30 of the die goes down at the time when the obturator-distributor 57 brings the powdered material into the die. The movement of the bottom 30 of the die produces then an aspiration which contributes to the fillmg.

It is to be noted that the apparatus is built in such a way that its upper .part, especially the container 46 and the obturator-distributor 57, can be disassembled easily for the cleaning. The coupling 56 is not symmetrical so that, after a dissassemblage and a reassemblage, the shaft 48, and consequently the obturator-distributor 57, occupy always the same angular position with respect to the shaft 54 which rotates in synochronisation with the other movable elements of the machine.

The extraction of the tablets out of the die 4 is carried out by. means of the movable bottom 30 of the die, which has to be exactly flush with the upper face of the die when it occupies its upper position; to this effect, this position has to be adjustable. This adjustment is carried out by means of the rod 33 which can be rotated, by means of a tool acting on its head, designated by 33a, which is embodied in the table 2a (FIG. 4). This rod 33 drives, by a keying 59, the sleeve 32 on which is screwed the support 31. Thus, the position in height of this latter, and consequently the position of the bottom 30 of the die, is adjustable.

The ejection of the tablets out of the machine, when extracted from the die, is carried out by means of the arm 57a which sweeps these tablets, as they come out of the die, and drives them with it. Due to the centrifugal force, these tablets are projected against a guiding edge 3a of the plate 3, having the shape of an arc of circle, and leaves this edge once arrived at the extremity of this latter, for falling, after having passed on an inclined plane 60 provided in the plate 3 and through a hole 61 of the table 2a into a boot 62 which guides them'into a container not represented. So that the shock of the tablets against the guiding edge 3a be not too strong, the leading edge of the arm 57a, designated by 63 (FIGS.

4 t 3 and 8), has the shape of an arc of circle, that brakes the tablets. This leading edge could also be rectilinear, but preferably directed non-radially.

At last, it is to be noted that all the mechanism is lubricated, by pipes not represented, by means of a gear pump 64 (FIG. 4) driven by a gear 65 meshing with the wheel 21.

The machine as disclosed and, represented has the advantage, especially, that its elements in contact with the pharmaceutical powdered product and with the tablets, all situated above the table:2a, are entirely separated from the controlling mechanism, entirely situated under this table. Thus the tablets cannot be polluted by the lubricant of the machine.

What I claim is:

A machine for making tablets from a powdered product comprising the combination of:

a stationary supporting table,

a tablet-forming die carried by the table,

a movable frame including a top cross bar and a bottom cross bar and interconnecting rods,

a driving mechanism operatively connected to the bottom cross bar of the movable frame for the reciprocating movement of the movable frame relative to the table,

a reciprocating punch carried by and movable with the top cross bar of the movable frame for compres sing the powdered product in the die,

a powder distributing mechanism located above the table and including a powder supply container having a lower discharge aperture and a driven rotating screw disposed within the container,

a rotatable obturator-distn'butor rigidly mounted on and rotatable with the screw of the powder distributing mechanism and disposed intermediate the powder distributing mechanism and the die, the obturator-distributor being provided with an oblique passage therethrough and having one end registrable at one point in the revolution of rotation with the discharge opening for the charging of the olique passage with the powdered material and having an opposite end registrable at another point in the revolution of rotation with the die for the discharging of the powdered material from the oblique passage.

and into the die, and an extractor in the bottom of the die for pushing formed tablets from the die and being movable vertically in synchronism with the charging of the die.,

References Cited by the Examiner ED STATES PATENTS BILLY J. WlLl-IITE, Primary Examiner. 

